OEM Bedstep with Mult-function Tailgate (MFT): Missing a hole

[Glamdring]

Just putting this here to help someone else in the future. I've got a '20 Limited with MFT and Ramboxes. I love it and anxiously awaited the release of the Mopar bed step that was designed for use with MFT.

It seemed like a straight-forward install. Remove two bolts, then install the step with 3 bolts. However, my truck is missing the third bolt-hole. It's the hole in step 4 of the attached instructions.

I spoke to Mopar and they suggested having a master tech take a look and confirm this. I did so and they said it was nothing to worry about. I'm not a heavy guy so I think 2 bolts will be fine, but I do wish they weren't both on the same side.

Special thanks to AUPatrick for helping me trouble-shoot this. He has the same config but is NOT missing the third hole.

 

[Mikejones11]

What’s the pn for this kit?

 

[Glamdring]

What’s the pn for this kit?

82216265AB

 

[mikeru82]

Now I'm curious to see if mine has the third hole, in case I ever want to install that step. Is there anything stopping you from drilling the third hole out yourself?

 

[dsmonline]

Yes, that hole was missing on my installation as well, however after looking at it for a moment I decided it was not needed. The main body of the step comes to rest against the body of the truck so that it can not move down when you step on it. So really the two bolts are sufficient to hold the step. Drilling the hole would be a waste of time.

 

[mikeru82]

Yes, that hole was missing on my installation as well, however after looking at it for a moment I decided it was not needed. The main body of the step comes to rest against the body of the truck so that it can not move down when you step on it. So really the two bolts are sufficient to hold the step. Drilling the hole would be a waste of time.

You're probably right. I'm sure they engineered it with an extra hole for no reason at all. Engineers are always doing that.

I'm sure you actually are right in regards to most people. It's likely they designed it that way out of an abundance of caution. They don't want to be sued because it collapsed on a plus-sized person who tried using it. If I was someone who weighed 250+ pounds I might be a little wary of using that step with only those two bolts, but for the average sized person it will probably be fine. For me, it's easy enough to just drill the missing hole and not worry about it.

 

[Glamdring]

The challenges with drilling a hole would be twofold I think. One, it's really thick plate steel and a big hole. You'd need a serious drill. Second, based on how the step mounts on that side, you can't just trace the hole and start drilling. The step mounts to the inside of the frame, so you'd need to be very careful in marking and drilling to ensure alignment.

Certainly these are challenges that could be overcome, but more effort than I'm putting in. I thought about using a smaller self-tapping screw and making a new hole just for it, but decided that for now it's fine as-is.

 

[dsmonline]

Another way to look at the issue, try it for a month without drilling the 3rd hole and putting in the 3rd bolt (using just the two bolts). If all is well, done! If it still bothers you, drill away.